Valid Protest?

[Pannonian]

I'll say again that these kinds of protests are counterproductive, if their objective is to secure better conditions for Tibet. However, if their objective is to make the protestors feel good about themselves in upholding some moral good, then they're certainly effective.

What do you think?

[Crazed Rabbit]

Photos from the protest in SF:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/zombie-...san-francisco/

Everyone with a grudge against China turned out; anti-Darfur genocide, Burma, Vietnam, and of course Tibet.

CR

[naut]

Well I'm glad Mr. Smug Rudd has grown some balls and said that the Chinese paramilitaries will not be allowed off the Chinese bus and the torch will be protected by Aussie security.

I hope someone extinguishes it.

[CountArach]

What jurisdiction do the Chinese Parmilitary forces have in this case to stop teh person from this legitimate protest? Absolutely shocking.

[HoreTore]

What jurisdiction do the Chinese Parmilitary forces have in this case to stop teh person from this legitimate protest? Absolutely shocking.

I'm guessing they use the same as Blackwater does to shoot civilians and get away with it.

In other words, none.

[Geoffrey S]

Not protesting what the Chinese are doing in Tibet is one thing. Understandably there are plenty of opinions on the matter, so disagreement is not surprising.

But allowing the Chinese to abuse the Olympic Games as spectacle, and not drawing a line when they do things like this? It's beyond their sovereignty and jurisdiction and shouldn't be tolerated. I'm all for keeping politics out of the Olympics, but if the Chinese can't resist the gloves should come off.

[Pannonian]

Not protesting what the Chinese are doing in Tibet is one thing. Understandably there are plenty of opinions on the matter, so disagreement is not surprising.

But allowing the Chinese to abuse the Olympic Games as spectacle, and not drawing a line when they do things like this? It's beyond their sovereignty and jurisdiction and shouldn't be tolerated. I'm all for keeping politics out of the Olympics, but if the Chinese can't resist the gloves should come off.

I personally think the Olympics are inconsequential, but if the Chinese want to make much of it, then smart politicans will extract some concessions for it. If people really wanted to help Tibet, they'd have agreed to let the Chinese parade their flame in a blaze of glory, in return for movement towards the cultural autonomy and Beijing government political position the Dalai Lama is pushing for. Instead, people have protected the purity of the Olympic ideal, which is a load of nonsense anyway, while ensuring that no concessions will be made for Tibet, and the Tibetans will suffer Beijing's anger once the games are over. And after all this is over, people will preen themselves on how they stood up for the forces of good against the forces of evil, oblivious to the opportunity they had ignored to actually do some practical good.

Shakes head at the idiocy of it all.

[Adrian II]

If people really wanted to help Tibet, they'd have agreed to let the Chinese parade their flame in a blaze of glory, in return for movement towards the cultural autonomy and Beijing government political position the Dalai Lama is pushing for.

You are confusing cause and effect. If it were not for these (and previous, similar) international protests the Chinese wouldn't even acknowledge that the Dalai Lama exists.

Apart from that, the protests show the Chinese government that we may have diplomatic relations, trade ties and other exchanges with them, but that we are no dupes to their dictatorial propaganda.

[Adrian II]

Modern Olympics aren't about sports. Anyone who thinks so needs his head examined. It's a circus in the original sense. And anyone who protests and ridicules these games is entitled to feel good. Cause they did good.

This torch thingy has become the best anti-Chinese propaganda train in quite a while. Most amusing. In London it was nearly snatched by protesters, in France it had to be doused despite the presence of 3000 police, in San Francisco it was paraded through empty warehouses and alleyways at break-neck speed. Teh redicule.

[InsaneApache]

Whoever had the idea to award the games to a one party state should be sacked.

[Adrian II]

Whoever had the idea to award the games to a one party state should be sacked.

That would be the Olympic Committee. And you have my full support.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Whoever had the idea to award the games to a one party state should be sacked.

In my opinion, they should be complimented. I mean, I would prefer they weren't in China (I despise communism, for one), but by doing that they showed that they would award the games to the most deserving, regardless of politics. That being said, when accepting the Olympics there should be a clause that limits the use of propaganda.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Modern Olympics aren't about sports. Anyone who thinks so needs his head examined. It's a circus in the original sense. And anyone who protests and ridicules these games is entitled to feel good. Cause they did good.

This torch thingy has become the best anti-Chinese propaganda train in quite a while. Most amusing. In London it was nearly snatched by protesters, in France it had to be doused despite the presence of 3000 police, in San Francisco it was paraded through empty warehouses and alleyways at break-neck speed. Teh redicule.

I agree. The more people are reminded of how awful China is, the less anti-American they will be. For a short period of time

[Ronin]

I agree. The more people are reminded of how awful China is, the less anti-American they will be. For a short period of time

if the US was chosen to hold an Olympic event right now I think there would be protests too...and with good reason...no wear near near the same level...and rightfully so...but it would exist.